Tube and the like mills



Dec. 5, 1939. I J, EfKENN-EDY- 2,181,943

TUBE'AND THE LIKE MiLLs Filed Jan. 8, 1937 I I Q u Q INVENTOR N N Patented Dec. 5, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE a corporation of Delaware" January 8, 1937, Serial No. 119,541

Application 4 Claims.

This invention relates to material reducing means, commonly termed tube or ball mills, in-

cluding a shell or drum rotatably supported by hollow trunnions extended axially from the oppo- 5 site ends of the drum and in which mills the material to be acted upon and reduced is fed into the drum and the reduced material delivered from the drum through a drum trunnion, the drum having reducing means or elements therein operative by the rotation of the drum to reduce material in the drum. The drums in mills of this character are usually rotated by a driving pinion rotatable on an axis extending parallelly of the axis of the drum meshing with an annular gear mounted on and extending about the drum, or by worm gearing applied to a sup-. porting trunnion of the drum. By either of said means and method of rotating the drum lateral thrusts are transmitted to the bearings and sup- 0 ports of the drum as well as to the gearing of the driving means, causing undue wearing of the bearings and supports as well as the gearing. While the invention is applicable to tube or balls for reducing material in a dry or wet condition, it is particularly adapted for use in connection with mills for reducing material in a wet condition.

It is an object of the invention to overcome the. above isadvantages in driving means for tube or 6ball mills by the provision of means to connect the driving means to the discharge trunnion axially of.the drum, and transmit the driving force to the drum axially thereof, without imparting lateral thrusts to the bearings and sup-- ports for the drum, or transmitting torsional and breaking stresses to the connecting means by the driving force of the driving means to rotate the drum.

It is a further object of the invention to provide improved means to connect driving means for tube or ball mills to and maintain communication with the drum through the discharge,

trunnion of the drum, comprising a member having a cylindrical portion at one end, and at which end the member is connected to the drum trunnion, and an annular outwardly diverging portion at the opposite end arranged with a spider,

the arms of which spider extend outwardly from said annular diverging portion and converge toward the axis of the member and adapt the spider hub for connection of the drive shaft of driving means axially of the drum, and the spider arms arranged to transmit the forces and stresses of the driving means applied to the spider hub, in a direction longitudinally through the spider arms to the annular portion of the connecting member to rotate the drum, and to convey through said spider material discharged through the drum trunnion by the rotation of the connecting member with the drum.

Other objects and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the drawing accompanying and forming a part of this application, t

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a tube or ball 10 mill and driving means therefor, partly in section, and showing the means for connecting the driving means axially to the discharge trunnion of the drum.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the means to 1:; connect the driving means axially tolthe discharge trunnion of the drum of the mill.

Figure 3 is an end elevation of 'the connecting means shown in Figure 2 looking at the left ofsaid figure; and

Figure 4 is an end elevation of the connecting means shown in Figure 2 looking at the right thereof.

The embodiment of the invention illustrated is shown in connection with a tube or ball mill for 25 reducing material in a Wet state, and includes a cylindrical drum or shell 5 with closure ends .6, l secured to and closing the opposite ends, and having hollow trunnions 8, 9 extending. axially outward therefrom, whereby the drum is adapted to be supported to rotate on a horizontal axis in suitable bearings Ill; I I mounted on suitable supports l3, M, such as reinforced concrete. The drum has material reducing or pulverizing means therein consisting of balls or rods adapted to be 85 cascaded with the material within the drum by the rotation thereof, and a liquid, such as water, is introduced into the drum. The trunnion 8 contutes the inlet opening for the drum through which the material to be reduced and also the 0 liquid is fed into the drum, and the trunnion 9 constitutes the outlet for the discharge of the pulverized or reduced material from the drum, the material being delivered from-the drum into said trunnion by the rotation of the drum by 45 means hereinafter described.

The material is delivered to the feed trunnion 8 from a receptacle in the nature of a trough IE to which the material is supplied from a source of supply as by a chute, not shown, and delivered 50 from said receptacle l5 into the drum trunnion B by a scoop in the form of a casing having an arcuate wall l6 and side walls l1, l8, the wall l8 having an opening I9 to which the arcuate wall I6 is eccentrically arranged and constituting an outlet opening from the casing, and the casing secured at the wall l8 to the end of the trunnion 8 with the outlet opening l9 in alinement'with the trunnion opening. The arcuate wall l6 extends about the opening l9 and thereby forms a chamber in the casing of spiral form having an inlet opening in a portion of the casing eccentric to the axis of rotation of the casing and drum, as at 2|]. As the drum is rotated the inlet portion of the scoop dips into the trough l5 below the axis of rotation of the drum and scoops up material therein, and as the eccentric portion of the casing moves above the axis of rotation of the drum the material is caused to move along the arcuate wall l6 toward and through the outlet opening I9 into a sleeve within the trunnion 8 having an inwardly extending spiral rib and adapting the sleeve as a screw conveyor, as at 2!, adapted by the rotation of the same with the drum to feed or convey the material through the sleeve into the drum. The sleeve 2| is of a length substantially the same as the trune nion, and is held against longitudinal displacement by the inner end of the sleeve engaging an annular flange, as at 2|, extending'inwardly at the juncture of the trunnion with the drum end 6, the portion of the side wall l8 of the scoop about the outlet opening I9 abutting the outer end of the sleeve and holding it to the flange, as clearly shown in Figure 1.

To efiect screening of the reduced material delivered from the drum and deliver the reduced material into the outlet trunnion 9, there is provided a screen partition or wall 22 supported in the drum and spaced from the head I by bolts or tie rods 23 extended through posts 24 extended from and spaced about an annular plate 25 juxtaposed to the drum end 1, the partition thereby forming with the head 1 a, chamber connected in communication with the drum through perforations in the partition or wall 22, the plate 25 having Webs or fiat portions 25' spaced about and extended laterally therefrom to abut the partition 22 to form pockets or scoops between the partition 22 and plate 25, adapted to lift material from belowto above the axis of rotation of the drum and deliver such material toward the axis of the drum, such material being directed or deflected into the trunnion 9 by a conical member 26axially of and extended laterally from the partition 22, transversely of the chamber between the partition 22 and plate 25, into the trunnion 9. To facilitate the delivery of the material through the trunnion 9, the wall of the trunnion opening is arranged to taper or diverge outwardly from'the juncture of the trunnion with the drum end 1.

The drum is rotated from a suitable source of power connected axially to the discharge trunnion 9 of the drum, and shown as an electric motor having combined therewith a suitable speed reducing means, shown in a conventional manner at M, mounted on a support 21 with the driving shaft 28 arranged co-axially with the axis of the drum. The means to connect the shaft28 axially to the drum comprises a cylindrical memberor head having a portion 29 substantially of uniform diameter at one end to abut the end of the trunnion 9 and the Wall of the bore therein tapering or inclining at the same 7 angle as the wall of the bore in the trunnion 9 and constituting a continuation thereof. The opposite end of said memberis arranged with a hub-carrying spider'including an annular wall portion 30 diverging outwardly from intermediate the ends of the portion 29 of the cylindrical member and arranged with arms or webs 35, shown as four in number equally spaced about the annular portion 30 converging outwardly from said annular wall portion in a direction toward the axis thereof, and carrying an integral hub 32 axially of the drum. The connecting member or head is secured to the end of the drum trunnion 9 by bolts or screws 33 engaging perforations in reinforced portions 34 of an annular flange 34 extended laterally from the end of the clyindrical portion 29 of the connecting member and perforations in an outwardly extending annular flange 9" at the end of the trunnion 9. To connect the drive or power shaft 28 to the drum a shaft 35 is fixed in the hub, 32, as by a key 35', and connected to the power shaft 28 by a suitable flexible and shock absorbing coupling, shown as comprising a coupling member 36 fixed on the end of the shaft 35 and a coupling member 31 fixed on the end of the power or drive shaft, 28 and the coupling members connected by pins of resilient laminated material 38 engaged at the ends in opposite recesses spaced about the clutch members 36, 31. The drum in the present instance is rotated in clockwise direction as viewed from the right in Figure 1, and to transmit the force of the power from the hub 32 imparted thereto by the shaft 35 to the annular wall portions 29, 30 of the connecting member without exerting bending and breaking stresses to the hub carrying arms or webs 3| of the spider, and to convey or transport material delivered from the trunnion 9 through the spaces between the spider arms 3|, said arms are arranged in helicoidal form as portions of a screw, the arms 31 extending, and the juncture thereof with the hub being, substantially tangential to the hub, as at 3|, and are arranged in a spiral or inclined relative to the axis of the hub, as shown at 3|" in Figure 3. By this arrangement of the spider arms or webs 3| the forces and stresses are transmitted from the hub 32 to the portion 30 of the connecting member in a direction substantially longitudinally through the spider arms or webs.

To reinforce the cylindrical portion 29 and outwardly diverging portion 30 of the connecting member said portions are connected to the flange 34 by reinforcing ribs 39, the connection of which ribs with the diverging portion 30 is intermediate the connection of the spider arms or Webs 3 I with said diverging portion 39. To further reinforce the diverging portion 30 of the connecting memher it is provided with outwardly extending lugs 39'. I

To aline the perforations in the flanges 34, 9 for the securing bolts or screws 33, and to relieve the same of torsional stresses by the transmitting of the power from the connecting member to the drum trunnion a radial slot or keyway is provided in the end of the cylindrical portion 29 of the' connecting member and extended through the flange 34, as shown at 40 in Figure 3, and. a corresponding slot or keyway is arranged in the end of the trunnion 9 and extended through the flange 9 for the engagement of a key when the slots or keyways are opposed to each other, as

shown at 4| in Figure 1. I

Having described my invention,.I claim:

1. In a tube mill, a drum arranged with an axial hollow supporting trunnion at one end having an-outwardly diverging bore and arranged the end with a hub carrying spider the arms of which converge outwardly toward the axis of the drum and the spider hub adapted for connecenemas 3 tion of a driving shaft thereto axially of the drum, and the hub carrying spider arms arranged to extend tangentially to and from the spider hub in the direction of rotation of the drum to transmit the force to rotate the drum applied by the driving shaft to the spider hub axially of the drum in a direction edgewise through the hub carrying spider arms.

2. In a tube and the like mill, a horizontal axis drum having a hollow supporting trunnion axially at the end, and means to connect a drive shaft axially to andmaintain material communication with the drum through the trunnion, comprising a cylindrical member having a wall portion at one end substantially of uniform outside diameter and having an annular laterally extend ing flange at the outer end thereof whereby said member is secured to the trunnion in concentric abutting relation to the trunnion with the bore thereof constituting a continuation of the trunnion bore, said member having a portion diverging outwardly from the portion of uniform diameter arranged with spider arms converging outwardly toward and carrying a hub axially of the drum adapted for connection of a drive shaft, and reinforcing ribs extending radially outward from said member and between the annular flange and outwardly diverging portion, the hub carrying spider arms being arranged to extend tangentially of and from 'the spider hub in the direction of rotation of the drum to transmit the driving force of the drive shaft to rotate the drum applied to the hub in a direction edgewise through the spider arms and permit passage of material from the drum trunnion outwardly through the spaces between the spider arms.

3. In a tube and the like mill, a drum supported to rotate on a horizontal axis having an outlet ct opening axially in one end, and means to conn a drive shaft axially to the drum to rotate the same, comprising a cylindrical member having a wall portion at one end substantially of uniform outside diameter and at which wall portion said member is secured to the drum concentrically of and with the bore in communication with the outlet opening of the drum, the wall portion at the opposite end of said member diverging outwardly and arranged with hub carrying spider arms of a width substantially equal to the length of said diverging portion of the cylindrical member and converging outwardly from (said diverging wall portion toward the axis of said member and supporting the hub for connection of a shaft axially of the drum, and the spider arms arranged to extend tangentially of and from the spider hub in the direction of'rotation of the drum and of helical form to transmit the driving force to rotate the drum applied axially to the spider hub endwise through the spider arms to 10 the drum and by the rotation thereof with the drum convey material delivered from the drum outlet into said ylindricai member and outwardly therefrom t ough the spaces between the spider arms. 15

4. In a tube and the like mil, a horizontal axis drum having a hollow supporting trunnion axially thereof, the bore of which tapers outwardly, and means to axially connect a drive shaft to said trunnion to rotate the drum and to 20 maintain material communication with the drum through the trunnion, comprising a composite shaped cylindrical member having a generally outwardly tapering bore, means at one end to secure said member to the trunnion, the bore at the securing end being equal to that of the adjacent trunnion and constituting a continuation of the tapered trunnion bore, an annular wall portion diverging outwardly from adjacent the securing portion toward the opposite end of said member to a greater extent than the adjacent securing portion, arms diverging outwardly from the inner face of the diverging wall portion and carrying a hub, said hub providing means for connection with a drive shaft located axially of the drum, said hub-carrying arms being of plate form and of a dimension substantially equal to the longitudinal dimension of said annular diverging wall portion and said huband being oblique to the horizontal axis of the drum and tangentially con- 40 nected to the hub in the direction of rotation of the drum, the arms thereby being positioned to. transmit a driving force from the hub through the arms and annular wall portion to the'drum,

and said arms also being arranged in a helical form whereby upon rotation with the drum material delivered from the trunnion will be conveyed between the arms and thereby discharged.

JOSEPH E. KENNEDY. 

